- What open-ended questions can I ask students about this material? How will these questions support student engagement?
- How can I break up my lecture into smaller blocks of related information?
- What class activities will I have this session? When will they take place, and for how long?
Maintaining Student Attention in the Classroom
By Jamie Trost
“Next up, we will be talking about penicillin. Penicillin is a type of beta-lactam antibiotics– so called because these types of antibiotics contain a beta-lactam ring in their chemical structure. Any questions?”
As you pause to scan the room, you notice an alarming number of students buried in their laptops. Some are even staring into space: Are they thinking about the laundry they accidentally left in their dryer or maybe an upcoming meeting they have after class? You wonder to yourself: How can I get their attention?
Even without technological distractions, students struggle to maintain attention during class periods. While research has consistently shown a decline in student attention after only 15 minutes of lecture, more recent investigations have suggested that breaks in attention increase over the course of a class period, happening as often as every 3-4 minutes by the end of a class period. Moreover, these numbers are not standard to every student. In fact, some students report short breaks in attention as early as 30 seconds into a class period.
Attention lapses during class can have negative effects on retention and learning gains. Makes sense, right? However, students in these classrooms also report a false sense of confidence because they mistake merely sitting through a large amount of content with understanding that content well. It is critical to harmoniously match content retention, positive learning outcomes, and student perception. But how can we line these up?
Have no fear! A few tricks can help you attract and maintain student attention in your classroom.
Plan Wisely
When preparing your lessons, be intentional about maintaining student attention. Plan your course sessions with care, and enter each class period with specific ideas about student interaction, class structure, and time management. Consider the following questions: